eSports growing at the U of M

MINNEAPOLIS - eSports, also known as electronic sports, have grown exponentially in the past decade across the world.

Games like Rocket League, DOTA 2, Overwatch, Starcraft and Heroes of the Storm have tournaments that can sell out stadiums and give away millions of dollars in prize money. Recently College eSports clubs have started popping up, and there is now one at the University of Minnesota.

"You need teamwork, you need communication, dedication, all of the above." said Evan Christensen.

Christensen and his team are playing a multiplayer game, Heroes of the Storm, practicing their strategy to get ready to compete against other big 10 schools.

"Last semester we competed against teams such as Michigan, Purdue, Indiana," said Christensen.

There are about two dozen gamers in the club, and while they haven't won any scholarships, they are positioning themselves to do that in the future.

"What we are doing here is trying to build a infrastructure for the future where possibly we are competing for scholarships or prize money," Christensen said.

eSports have built a new community at the University of Minnesota, allowing these gamers to take their passion and work together to solve challenges. Their club meets a few times a month.